Caffey's late basket lifts Long Beach

LONG BEACH – After a rocky and inconsistent preconference schedule, the two-time defending Big West champion Long Beach State 49ers are making strides to turn around their season.

Saturday's victory was a big step in the right direction.

Mike Caffey's basket with 1.7 seconds left helped give the 49ers a thrilling 76-72 victory over Hawaii before 2,749 at Walter Pyramid.

With 13 seconds remaining and the score tied 72-72, Caffey took the inbounds pass and dribbled three-quarters of the length of the floor under pressure.

Two Hawaii defenders opposed Caffey as he drove into the lane, but the sophomore guard managed to get off a high arching one-handed 7-footer that swished in to put the 49ers up by two.

"As I got the ball I checked out the clock and saw a gap and took it in for a score," Caffey said. "This is a big win for us. We wanted to be in first place."

"Mike had a crease and the first option was to get a paint shot," 49ers coach Dan Monson said. "This team hasn't been in a lot of close games like that. I'm happy that they didn't panic."

On the ensuing play Warriors center Davis Rozitis committed a foul trying to retrieve a full-court inbounds pass. Hawaii coach Gib Arnold argued the call and was issued a technical, his second of the game.

Peter Pappageorge converted both free throws to secure the 49ers win, their third in a row.

"We're in a groove right now," said Pappageorge, who scored 15 points. "We need games like this to see what we're made of."

Caffey led Long Beach State (8-8, 4-1) with 18 points and six assists as the 49ers won their 20th consecutive home conference game. James Ennis added 11 points and eight rebounds.

For the second game in a row, Deng Deng came off the bench and provided a much-needed lift for the 49ers. Deng hit four 3-pointers and scored 12 points.

Long Beach trailed by seven in the first half when Pappageorge sparked a 13-2 run by nailing two 3-pointers and two free throws to give the 49ers a 20-16 lead with 9:49 left in the half.

Emotions got the best of Hawaii in the first half and it proved costly. Arnold was assessed a technical for disputing a call and guard Garrett Jefferson was called for a technical after taunting the 49ers bench after he made a basket.

Pappageorge made four free throws after the technicals.

The 49ers made 10 3-pointers but were outrebounded 37-31.

NOTES

Former Mater Dei and UCLA guard Tyler Lamb announced on his Twitter account that he plans to transfer to Long Beach State. Lamb, who played the past two seasons and one game this season for the Bruins, left UCLA in November. ... The Long Beach-Hawaii series dates to 1970. The 49ers hold a 7-5 advantage. ... Kris Gulley played for the first time since being injured in the Cal Poly SLO game last week.